Wright Chat

Frank Lloyd Wright Jr.'s Celebrity Magnet For Sale


David

This is certainly one of Lloyd's masterpieces, but it needs a lot of restoration in the interior.

The house as designed for Samuel featured numerous built-ins, casework and continuation of the copper arrow motif throughout. Very romantic, 1920s work in line with Lloyd's own home and the Sowden house.

When Navarro took possession, Lloyd returned and basically gutted all the original styling, expanded and "modernized" the house in a more typically "streamlined" 1930s fashion. All the heavy wood furniture went out and Warren McArther aluminum furniture was brought in.

I believe it was Diane Keaton who then hired Josh Schweitzer to completely strip the place down to the bare bones and add the cartoonish green built-ins. The interior, once so rich with warmth and detail, appears so dreary to me. I agree with whoever said the current interiors look straight out of a prison.

Craig, what is your source for Lloyd's remodeling of the interiors for Navarro?

I have a copy of an Architectural Record article on the Samuel house written by Pauline Schindler which shows the original facade and three interior photos with the Wright-designed furnishings.

I also have an article from Architectural Digest showing the place after Novarro took possession, also with interior shots showing a much simplified interior and loads of tubular furniture. The article states that Wright was called in to make changes for Novarro.

There is also a drawing showing Wright's exterior changes, including the addition of the pergola to the left and cutting in the huge window to the left of the garage. This was originally a solid, windowless wall.

I can send some scans to SDR to post if someone PM's me with his email.

I'd be happy to. My email is found at the bottom of my posts.

SDR

Craig provides these images of the Samuel-Novarro house.


From "an Architectural Record article on the Samuel house written by Pauline Schindler which shows the original facade and three interior photos with the Wright-designed furnishings":
















. . . and from "an article from Architectural Digest showing the place after Novarro took possession, also with interior shots showing a much simplified interior and loads of tubular furniture. The article states that Wright was called in to make changes for Novarro."

As so often happens, the original design of Samuel-Novarro is superior to the altered version ... even the windows interrupting that large blank space are no improvement.

As wonderful as the remodeled Coonley living room façade is, I still prefer the original design. Sondern made Adler larger, but not more interesting. Architects are well advised to leave well enough alone. At least with Hanna, the alterations were planned from the start, and did no harm.

Lloyd Wright’s fantastic Samuel-Novarro House is back on the market


David

2255 VERDE OAK DR - SAMUEL-NOVARRO HOUSE - KEITH KURLANDER - PLG ESTATES - [1:52]


David

It dawns on me that the pieces in the photo above must be Warren McArthur tubular furniture . . .

S

Yes, the height of 1930s modernity. But given the custom nature of the original interiors, it's kind of the equivalent of ripping out architect-designed, hand-made furnishings and replacing them with IKEA. But what would I know? I was never a silent movie star...

You're probably right on, there. Speaking of silent movie stars, do we know who's speaking to the statue, in that photo ?

S

Ramon